According to a report released by the World Health Organization, it has been a global problem that patients do not take medicine periodically as required in the doctor's prescription. It is further pointed out in the report that only half the patients on average take medicine persistently in developed countries, while this proportion is even lower in developing countries. For example, among high blood pressure patients in America, China and Gambia, those who take medicine persistently account for only 50%, 43% and 27% respectively. For a patient, not to take medicine on time in a proper dosage may affect the treatment effect, or even damage the liver functions and hence cause other diseases.
Each patient may have different reasons why he/she does not take medicine on time, e.g., the patient or family members of the patient forget the time to take medicine, or the patient is depressive, or the administration procedures of some therapies are too complicated. Particularly in the case of chronic diseases such as diabetes and high blood pressure, where the patient has to take several kinds of medicines on time in proper dosages, it is indeed somewhat difficult to remember the doses of the medicines to be taken and the administration intervals due to occasional interruption of the normal rhythm of life and work.
At present, a major way of ensuring that the patient takes medicine on time is to give an administration prompt by the family members or cell phone software, but it is not helpful for the patient to control the doses.